Dave Bautista Opens Up About His WWE Hall of Fame Induction
Who could have imagined that part of growing up would mean watching our favorite WWE superstars retire? While fans are still coming to terms with John Cena’s recent retirement announcement, it’s easy to forget another major milestone that was delayed—Dave Bautista’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Originally set to be honored in late 2019, Bautista has now spoken out about the long-awaited recognition. Here’s everything you need to know.
Bautista’s Thoughts on His Hall of Fame Induction
If you missed the news, wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista was first announced as an inductee for the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2019. However, due to the pandemic, the event was postponed. When it was later rescheduled as a virtual ceremony without a live audience, Bautista, who thrives on crowd energy, chose to delay his induction until a more suitable time.
Recently, Bautista’s induction has resurfaced in conversations. In a new interview, he opened up about the situation. Bautista shared that there were talks of holding the induction during WWE WrestleMania 39 weekend, but his filming commitments made it impossible. During a chat with Chris Van Vliet at The Killer’s Game press junket, Bautista confirmed that he still plans to be inducted when the timing aligns.
“Eventually, I will. I want to,” Bautista stated. “There was a good opportunity for me to go in a couple of years ago, and I agreed to do it. Hunter (Triple H) asked me to do it, and I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ It was here in LA, and I thought it was perfect—it was storybook because I won my first title here in LA. But we couldn’t figure it out because I was working on a film. I was in South Africa, so logistically, we just couldn’t make it happen. But yeah, I’m still open to it, and one day, I would like to.”
Dave Bautista’s WWE Legacy
Dave Bautista’s WWE career spanned a decade from 2000 to 2010. He first made waves in 2003 as part of Evolution, a faction that included WWE legends Randy Orton, Triple H, and Ric Flair. After Evolution disbanded, Bautista became a top singles star, securing six world titles and headlining WrestleMania 21. After transitioning to acting in 2010, Bautista returned to the ring in 2014 and again in 2019 for a final match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35, where he officially retired.
Stay tuned to OTTplay for more updates on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.
